Brighton manager, Roberto De Zerbi has hailed Evan Ferguson as “a special striker” in FA Cup mauling of Grimsby Town.
Ferguson netted Brighton’s second and third goals in an eventual 5-0 mauling of League Two’s Grimsby Town, as De Zerbi’s Seagulls cruised into the FA Cup semi-finals where Manchester United await at Wembley Stadium, London.
De Zerbi post-match proceeded to praise Ferguson for his performance as he described the 18 year-old as “a special striker.”
The Italian manager however iterated that Ferguson still has plenty of growth as he commented: “We are working to improve him not only as a striker but also his understanding of the play – when to receive the ball and attack the space – so he becomes a complete player.
“If you work with a clever guy like Evan it’s nice because he understands exactly what you want and will improve day by day.”
De Zerbi added that amidst his “goalscoring qualities,” with seven goals this season, Ferguson can develop to a higher level if he can “learn to play like a midfielder when the play is away from the goal areas and like a striker in the last 20 metres.”
Brighton though were wasteful throughout the match with 12 of their 22 shots off-target which left De Zerbi unimpressed and wanting “more, more, more”, especially after a sloppy first-half in which only Deniz Undav converted a shot into a goal.
De Zerbi though admitted that Brighton fans will have to get used to that sort of performance with a hectic run of fixtures until end of season.
Urging patience from supporters, De Zerbi said: “It has been a tough period for us with three games in eight days but we have to get used to this. In April we will play seven games and it will be a crucial month.”
De Zerbi also hailed Undav and substitute, Yasin Ayari for showing “big qualities” as he called for both players to show more performance, especially with a busy run of fixtures coming up after the international break.
With Man Utd up next in the semi-finals – almost 40 years after both teams met in 1983 FA Cup Final, De Zerbi iterated that Brighton players can’t go to Wembley like any “tourist” and instead need to show desire to win the match.
De Zerbi though admitted that the match will be “difficult” but his players must play like they “want to win in every competition.”
With expectations high, De Zerbi added that ambition can drive his dressing room to success as he added: “If you fix your targets higher it is easier to lose, but it’s also the way to progress and grow as a team. I don’t like targets that are too easy.”
Addressing supporters about what to expect at Wembley, De Zerbi commented: “If we go to Wembley we will try to make our fans happy and to write if possible the new history of our club.
“We have to play well, a perfect game in both the semi-finals and final to win [the competition].”
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